Australia Weather News

High rainfall in 2016 is allowing graziers in the Queensland channel country to rebuild their herds. - ABC

The Queensland channel country town of Boulia enjoyed some good rain at last in 2016 with the Bureau of Meteorology recording five times the 2015 rainfall.

More than 370mm fell in the town last year which also trumped the past three years combined.

Boulia grazier and mayor Rick Britton said while landholders were still looking for a decent wet season, there was a renewed sense of optimism in the area.

"I've never seen a season like we had last year," Mr Britton said.

"Usually when you get winter rain it's really cold and you don't get your growth.

"But this year we had winter rain and we never had really cold weather so the herbage and everything was at optimal growth."

Producers looking to rebuild the herd

However, the outlook for the Boulia Shire was bleak at the start of 2016. Some properties were entirely de-stocked and social events like the rodeo were cancelled due to drought.

Kalynda Clough from Blair Athol station, about 40 kilometres north of Boulia said they had a healthy herd this year and they were rebuilding numbers.

"We've got a lot of dry feed now but it's summer time and we're hoping we might get some summer rain soon," Ms Clough said.

"But if not we're still right for another few months with the dry feed we've got."

Ms Clough said the record cattle prices seen in 2016 made it easier for them to start rebuilding their herd.

"We've been able to sell probably half of what we normally would've had to sell to [get] the same money," she said.

"It's allowing us to retain some of our up and coming breeder heifers which will mature into cows this year."

Further north at Alderley station near Dajarra the Bureau of Meteorology measured more than 600mm across 2016.

Jamie Hacon from Buckingham Downs bordering Alderley said the rain meant they could start rebuilding their herd, but cautiously.

"We bought some cattle at Easter time last year, and when we did that at the time I was actually wondering if we were pulling the right rein or not," Mr Hacon said.

"But we got the cattle home and it started raining and we never looked back."

Still need more rain this summer


Rick Britton said there would need to be more rain this summer to bring on the Mitchell grass and provide more security for re-stockers.

"If we get rain between now and April we'll get a good body of Mitchell grass and the season will really kick-off."

Mr Britton said the area was at a cross-roads in terms of drought.

"At the moment it's on a knife's edge because of herbage, if we get three or four weeks of heat the herbage just whittles away to nothing," he said.

"We're still relying on that good summer season."

ABC